What's Cooking with Olympic Champion Brian Boitano

GOLD Athlete Mag is happy to share with you Brian Boitano’s Grilled Salmon with Pea-and-Basil Pesto Recipe! A healthy diet is important. Having good recipes at your fingertips makes cooking easier and more fun. Try this one out soon! 

Grilled Salmon with Pea-and-Basil Pesto (What Would Brian Boitano Make)

One of my favorite ways to prepare salmon is to grill it. Sometimes I place it on a cedar plank, but most of the time it goes right on the grill. Both techniques give it a great smoky undertone. I added peas to the pesto to give the sauce a firmer texture, and this has become one of my go-to sauces. Whenever I would serve this to my opera-singing friend Lorenzo Malfatti, he would change the lyrics from famous Italian songs and arias to words related to the pea pesto topping. Instead of singing “O sole mio,” it became “O peas in pesto.” I make way more than I need and freeze the extra for use on white meat, pastas, and other fish. I use a cup of lemon verbena fresh from my garden, but if you can’t lay your hands on the herb, feel free to substitute a tablespoon of lemon zest as directed below or ½ cup chopped fresh lemongrass. If you don’t have pine nuts, substitute almonds. Serves 4

Ingredients

1 medium red potato, peeled

¼ cup pine nuts

3 cloves garlic

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

2 cups basil leaves

½ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon lemon

zest Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup olive oil, plus

3 tablespoons Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 salmon filets, about 1⁄3 pound each, skins removed

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the potato in a small pot of salted water. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Strain, let cool, and chop coarsely.

2. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, tossing occasionally, until the nuts are lightly browned and aromatic, about 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool.

3. Combine the pine nuts, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a food processor with the blade attachment. Pulse until finely chopped.

4. Add the potato, peas, basil, parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. With the processor running, slowly pour in ½ cup olive oil, blending until the mixture is smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Set aside.

5. Brush the grill grate with olive oil and preheat on medium-high.

6. Brush both sides of the salmon filets with olive oil and coat with a layer of salt and pepper.

7. Grill the salmon for about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the filets carefully, cover the grill, and grill for 3 to 4 minutes more.

8. Spoon a small amount of the pesto into the center of each plate and spread it out in a little round pool. Place a salmon filet on top of the pesto. Top each filet with a tablespoon of the pesto and serve immediately. - See more at: http://www.icetalentinc.com/2013/05/15/brian-boitanos-grilled-salmon-with-pea-and-basil-pesto-recipe/#sthash.PevEqhWS.dpuf

*This article first appeared on www.icetalentinc.com